Exposure and Explosions
by C. Jane Wright
Summary: Early into the new Millennium, everything seemed promising. Technology is rapidly advancing, despite continual underestimation by the Wizarding community. Muggle Katherine Daring was visiting her cousin in England when she accidentally helped set the stage for the one thing every witch and wizard feared: exposure.
1. Chapter 1

The sun was rising. The warm, golden hues touched her skin, uncaring of what had just conspired. That's something she didn't think she'd see again.

It had started with a simple vacation, of sorts, that led to her meeting of the single most remarkable man she's ever known. Staring at the ash and scorch marks, she imagined that if the vacation had been so simple, it would have ended with a sweet summer romance. But, as it goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. For all the progress mankind has made, there is the inevitable regression to its primitive state. That was a rough lesson to learn. She even surprised herself with what she was capable of.

Everything that happened had been her fault. That was the hardest part to accept, that there was blood on her hands when her life calling was to help people.

Her senior year of medical school had been right around the corner. Katherine Daring spent her days lost in her studies. Quite literally. Never mind time for a social life, platonic or otherwise since the very idea of maintaining a romantic relationship was laughable (though her friends didn't seem to have much trouble). She drank with friends from time to time if exams were particularly rough, otherwise she was in her PJs day and night trying to memorize the pharmacodynamic effect of medication that led to severe side effects or the very similar signs and symptoms of different afflictions or practice EKG readings. There were days the stress induced panic attacks had to be rescheduled simply because she did not have the time to panic (it begged to question if she was human or really an android that functioned on caffeine). Needless to say after 7 years of intensive studies, she was burnt out beyond recognition.

So off to England she went. After devoting all her previous summers to volunteering at the local clinic, this was to be the first and most expensive vacation she'd taken since… ever. It wouldn't be a true vacation at any rate. Through her school's connections, she'd arranged to volunteer at a hospital there. Her mother insisted that Uncle Jon Granger would take her in for the summer.

Nimble fingers pushed through the tangle of somewhat frizzy curls as she uncrossed and recrossed her legs. On the plane over from her little home in Florida, she was hard pressed to think of why she was doing this. Her friends had cooed at the supposed 'culture' and 'sophistication' that they were sure she'd find. She could have spent the summer at home on the beach with a book in her hand (gasp) for leisure. England was known to be drear and rain. There wasn't anything overwhelmingly attractive about this trip.

Speaking of attractive. Kat had to double take before she shrieked, "Hermione Jean Granger! Who the hell are you and what have you done with my bushy haired cousin?" The enviously thin girl had grown to be lovely. They had spoken on the phone a few times a year since the last family gathering over 10 years prior. Hermione grinned and hugged her. "Bet you have all the boys— or do you say lads around here— chasing after you," she ended with a laugh.

The younger girl shook her head incredulously. Picking up one of Kat's bags, she walked them over to the car that waited outside the airport. "Don't be ridiculous. I do, however, have a boyfriend."

"Which is more than I can say." She cleared her throat, "Not that I'm salty. I've resigned myself to a life of desolation."

"Salty? And I hardly believe you'll be alone. You could always get a cat." Hermione raised a brow as if she hadn't heard that term. "Here's my car. Well, dad's. I don't have my own."

"Salty as in salty. As in that delicious taste of tomato soup mixed with tears and broken dreams." As if to prove her point, she licked her lips which earned an eye roll from her cousin. Kat climbed into the passenger side. "Why don't you have your own car? Don't you work? Now that I think about it, Uncle Jon didn't mention anything about what you've been doing outside of high school." Remembering the cat comment, she added, "Hermione, I am a dog person. If I had a dog, poor thing would die of neglect while I work my shifts."

The girl shifted uneasily in her seat. She seemed to be bracing herself for a reaction. "I didn't go to college. I'm trying to find a job."

Now that earned an uncharacteristic shocked silence from Kat before she launched into an increasingly melodramatic rant, " _You_? You never went to college? What does that even- I think I'm getting dizzy. The world is growing dimmer. No, no. It's too late for me. You've literally killed me with the way you've wasted your intelligence."

Her cousin snapped back in self-defense, "I certainly have not _wasted my intelligence_. I'm simply using it in ways you wouldn't understand."

"What does that even mean? How are you using it then?"

"Charity." Hermione pursed her lips, clearly unwilling to say anything beyond, "I've helped a lot of people."

Kat, despite her tendency to be overaggressive and curious, decided not to question her younger cousin any further. It would only upset her more. No, she ask Uncle Jon for an explanation. It's not that Kat would have been unsupportive if Hermione had decided to pursue a passion outside of medicine, but to have her pursue nothing at all? That was the real shame. Switching topics to British customs, she asked if there was anything she needed to know. They chit chatted until they reached the Granger residence.

A/N: it starts off slow, but it'll pick up pace. Please leave a review and I hope you enjoyed :]


	2. Chapter 2

Her aunt and uncle welcomed her in and showed her to the spare bedroom. It was a very lovely home. Hermione eventually gave her the lowdown on the details of how she'd made close friends in the boarding school she attended, her love life with Ron, and how she spends most of her time volunteering in various government offices. Well. That's something you don't hear every day. Being generally uninvolved in politics, she changed the subject. They talked for hours on end about the new medical research that Kat read about. In these times of revolutionary change, there was great excitement in the air. The two girls spent the first night watching a DVD marathon of arguably the best TV drama, ER. At first Hermione wasn't very into it but as it progressed, they laughed, cried, and watched tensely together.

Kat's first shift at the clinic wasn't to start for another few days, an adjustment period, so she spent most of that time with Hermione. On the third night, she wanted to introduce her to her friends at a nearby pub. It was supposedly casual so she went in jeans. Upon arriving, it was obvious by the crowding that most people enjoyed a drink on a weeknight. They sat at the bar and ordered something light. Taking in the scene, someone caught her eye.

Tall, dark, and damnably handsome. He had these steely grey eyes, a cool expression, and shoulder length dark hair. He was dressed a gentleman but looked like trouble. Oh yes, her thoughts immediately **swan dived** into the deep, dark murky gutters of attraction. She looked down at the beer and back up, unable to help herself. He was headed this way.

"Harry and Ron can't make it. A new case came up. They sent me to tell you." There was something unfathomable in his expression, and considering how Hermione was looking at him, there seemed to be some kind of unspoken communication.

"What kind of case?" Blinking, she asked the younger girl, "Are they police officers? Is it dangerous?"

Hermione nodded slowly but didn't offer an explanation. The man took a seat beside Hermione.

She reached across to shake his hand. She'd been so distracted by his face, admittedly a moment of weakness, that when she grasped his larger, rougher hand, the strong grip had caught her by surprise. There goes all that interview sturdy hand shake practice from three years ago. Her touch had been feather light by comparison to his. Withdrawing her hand, she glanced at Hermione.

"I'm Hermione's cousin, Katherine Daring."

"Sirius Black, at your pleasure."

Had it been anyone else, she would have laughed at the cheesiness of the introduction. Elbow on the bar, she leaned into her hand and peered at him with an almost shy smile. "So, are you a police officer too?"

He chuckled, a small shake of his head. "No, I don't work right now. Do you?"

The fact he didn't give a specific occupation should have put her off. Instead, she gave a shrug, "Not right now."

"And what brings you to England, Miss Daring?"

"God, no please, none of those formalities. No one calls me Miss Daring except… well, no one." She offered what she hoped was a friendly smile, "Call me Kat."

With clear discomfort, Hermione interjected, "Kat, this is Harry's _godfather_. Sirius, Kat is still in medical school. She's only 24. Now stop flirting in front of me. It's perfectly nauseating."

Flushed with embarrassment, Kat immediately clamped a hand over the girl's mouth. "Hermione, darling, isn't there that age old adage of 'children should be seen and not heard'? And people say _Americans_ are rude. I could have spent the whole night making jokes like 'would you like some tea, gov'ner' which makes a lot of sense now that I see how obsessed British people are with tea. Don't make fun of my fake British accent, I know it's terrible." Babbling was a one of her deadliest vices. She trailed off with a mortified laugh.

Hermione yanked herself free. Her voice was shrill with annoyance, "If you'll excuse me, I have to make a call," and with a huff, stormed off in the direction of the bathroom. Sirius, on the other hand, had a wide amused grin plastered across his face like he was having his week made. Having embarrassed herself to the point of no redemption, she now had to drown her sorrows in tequila shots and ice cream and good old ER when she gets back. "Mister Bartender, two double shots of tequila please."

"We don't have tequila here, Miss American."

Her head dropped onto her arm on the bar. She raised her other hand, palm up, to stop Sirius from what he was surely going to say. "Don't. This, Sirius, is called a pity party. It's a party of one so you can't be invited."

"Not even if I offer tequila as a gift?"

She lifted her head, brows tugged down, and looked at the flask in his hand. "You carry tequila in a flask?" She sounded incredulous as she accepted it from him. "I didn't take you for a tequila man." This was a man her cousin trusted, therefore she could trust him. Sniffing lightly, taking in that familiar aroma, she took a long swallow of it. The familiar burn was relaxing even as the taste made her face pinch.

"What do you take me for, if you don't mind me asking?"

She paused to evaluate him in the same cold, objective manner she would make a diagnosis. "A man who was brought up with everything he could ever want but I bet anything you rebelled against all that. You're sophisticated even when you don't think you are. Unfairly good looking now so definitely a lady killer back in the day. Dark and mysterious." She smiled a small, secret smile. "Maybe even a little dangerous. The type to kill a man if you had to." Holding his dark gaze, she bathed in the delicious intensity that sparked fire in her belly. Or maybe that was the tequila.

She shrugged casually, her smile turning benign. She dropped the intensity of his gaze, no longer comfortable holding it. She took another mouthful of tequila. "Just kidding. You come off as a scotch or whiskey kind of guy."

"You're right. I should have expected family of Hermione would be as clever."

She frowned. "I am?"

"I do prefer whiskey."

She nodded, thinking that of everything that had been fairly easy guess.

"And I am quite good looking."

She physically choked on the third mouthful. She got up from the bar stool, holding out the flask to him, as she turned to (run) walk away. "You know what, I should go check on Hermione. Can't leave her crying all night that she couldn't meet up with her boyfriend."

He caught her wrist instead. She appraised him warily while he spoke, "I don't believe she's crying in there and neither do you."

"No?" Her heart was racing. It was such a simple touch and yet he managed to reel her closer.

"No." He had scruffy little hairs on his face she just wanted to rub her cheek raw against. His voice came out in a quiet rumble, "You really don't live up to your name, Daring."

She cleared her throat. "I am logical and practical." Breathing seemed to be difficult to remember just then. "I think before I leap."

"Isn't the phrase 'look before you leap'?"

Her voice didn't sound like her own anymore. It was breathy and low. "No, I'd get too scared. I'm terrified of heights." She pulled away from him.


	3. Chapter 3

Just as she was about to push open the door, Hermione came out of it. There was a deep etched scowl on her pointed features. Something was wrong. Before she had a chance to ask, Hermione ushered her back to Sirius.

The younger girl's eyes flickered between them. "We have to go. Now."

Sirius nodded without question and rose to follow but Kat was having none of it. "What's happening?" She had a sneaking suspicion this had to do with that case Ron and Harry were working on. She didn't realize it was so dangerous to date a policeman in England. Or maybe this had to do with Hermione's volunteering with the government?

Still, she was forced to follow out of the bar. The warm air of summer did nothing to the chill that settled on her skin. The dark was suddenly ominous around them. They continued walking, not in the direction of the car, but towards some alley. She stopped dead in her tracks, looking between the girl she's distantly known most of her life and the man she really had no business trusting. There was unsettled demand in her voice, "Tell me where we're going, Hermione. I won't follow you around blindly."

There was subtle panic in her frown. "I don't have time to explain now. We're going somewhere safe—"

"Safer than your house? Why would your house not be safe?"

"The answer to that's complicated, please, Kat—"

Sirius watched the exchange in silence when suddenly he pulled out a stick from his sleeve. The medical student wrinkled her brow and backed away from him. What the fucking hell? There was something seriously disturbed happening here.

She didn't get far when he reached forward, pulled her against him, and shouted something. Her face was pressed to his chest. While under different circumstances this would have been welcome, she trembled now. A scream was lodged in her throat. At that point she was too terrified and confused to scream. She heard Hermione shout something too. It wasn't English. **_Thud_**.

Pushing herself away with a strength she didn't know she had, she looked back to see someone flat on the ground. He wore a striped black and white uniform like a prisoner from an old black and white movie. Her breath came in labored pants. "What the fuck," she whipped to look at her cousin again. This time she had a stick in her hand too. "What the fuck? What the actual fuck?" Hermione reached out for her. "Don't you dare touch me, Hermione Jean Granger! I don't know what the fuck you think you're doing!"

Sirius was still a lot closer than she had realized. When he held out a hand in invitation and spoke, she jumped. Her heart beat like a jackrabbit in her chest. "There's more where he came from, Miss Daring. You're going to have to trust us."

"Fuck that! Some guy shows up and you two pull out _sticks_ and then **BAM** he's on the ground. Fuck if I'm ever going anywhere with either of you again!" Her body was tensed to run. She gestured wildly through her rant, "If I wanted to almost die by a hit and run, I could have gone to the hood. At least they have guns and not whatever the fuck those sticks are." In some deranged part of her brain, she thought her parents would disapprove of how much she was swearing.

Sirius appeared to be holding back laughter with Hermione shooting him a glare. As the one outside the loop, she didn't know what was so funny. Fuck that guy and his good looks.

She took two more big steps back. Just as she turned to run, another guy entered the alley. Kat immediately twirled back around and rushed to hide behind Sirius (not her proudest moment). She peeked out to see what was going on. A blast of green light came from the stranger and headed towards them. Lights? Really? The sticks make light? Hermione shouted and produced a white light that stopped it just inches away from them. The collision of the two frizzled into a hot energy that Kat could almost feel against her face. It wasn't light. That is what she could collect from how the balls of energy continued to collide until finally Sirius managed to hit the other guy.

When the second man dropped to the ground, Sirius looked down at her with an amused grin. "Are you alright there, Daring?"

She had the decency to blush and step away from him. Kat poked his chest and glared up at him (he was a lot taller than she'd realized). "Use my name ironically one more time. _One more time_ , I dare you, Black." He put his hands up in show of surrender. This time she stepped closer to Hermione. "Tell me the truth. Have the British weaponized nuclear energy and disguised it into the shape of sticks? Then again, it probably would have been better to make it into a more household item like pens."

Unable to hold back, Sirius burst into howling laughter earning a disgruntled reply from Hermione, "Honestly, Sirius. And no, Kat these are not nuclear weapons. Really, you of all people should know the even being close to the radiation would mean we should be dead right now." She pointed her stick at the two (hopefully) unconscious men and said something. "That'll keep them there until Harry picks them up."

"What the fuck is happening!?" Shaking her head, she took her cousin's hand and tugged her in the direction they had been going though she had no idea where exactly. "You know what, nevermind. Tell me later. Let's just get out of here before more of Dr. Evil's minions show up."

Grinning widely, Sirius piped up, "Hermione, you never told me what a brilliant cousin you have. Lovely girl. I quite like her." Kat pretended not she didn't feel the heat rising to her cheeks. He continued, "I don't think it's necessary to continue walking. She's seen more than enough, don't you think? We could Apparate."

"I suppose but…" Hermione peered hesitantly at the older girl. She didn't like the sound of that. "You have to hold on as tight as possible to me, understand? If you don't something terrible would happen."

Hazel eyes widened with vulnerability and uncertainty before she did as she was instructed. All at once everything went dark and blurred. She had a death grip on her cousin by the time she opened her eyes again. When she did, she found that Hermione was looking at her expectantly. It was only then she realized that their surroundings were different. Without intending to, she violently vomited onto the other girl's shoes.

Shrieking her protest, she moved away, "Kat! That's disgusting!"

She brought the back of her hand to her mouth. "Sorry, 'Mione. Those were nice shoes too. Consider us even for almost getting me killed." Bile burned her throat and tongue. Feelings of strong illness lingered. She needed to lie down. "I don't think that tequila sat well with me." Looking back at the unfamiliar surroundings, she weakly whimpered, "Was I drugged?"

No, of course, you weren't drugged," Hermione retorted. Sirius pointed his stick at the brunette's face. She practically went cross eyed trying to stare it down. He murmured something and then pointed to the apartment building complex. "

The building started to move and shift, the sound of bricks grating against one another resonating in the air. She gaped with open wonder as a new apartment moved forward. He continued, "There's a whole other world you don't know about. Things you never would have believed in."

"And what would that be?" her voice was distracted, the quiet words leaving her mouth automatically.

"Magic."

A/N: for some reason I've been writing up a storm. remember to review and I hope you liked this chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

The tea grew cold on the table in front of them. They sat in a semi-circle in a living room. A long silence stretched out before Kat broke it. Pointing at Hermione, she mumbled, "So you're a witch," then at Sirius, "And you're a wizard. And those sticks were magic wands." She felt surreally calm, though she felt she'd lost her mind. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

The witch shook her head. "We're not supposed to. There are rules and laws. We could go to jail. If it wasn't for the prisoners escaping, we wouldn't have been forced to. You're not supposed to know anything. In fact—"

The older girl scrambled behind Sirius. In the short time she's come to know him, she seems to have made an unfortunate habit out of it. She spoke from behind him, only risking her hand to point accusingly at her. "Woah, ok, calm down with pointing the magical wand in my face, Agent K. You need to put down the weapon and take a step back. I won't tell anyone so you don't have to kill me or whatever. I definitely will _not_ look into the light."

"I think you have me confused with a human shield, Daring," Sirius lightly pointed out.

Hermione groaned and spoke as if there wasn't a Muggle in the room. "The Ministry will send us to Azkaban if we don't Obliviate her. We'll wake her up when it's over. It's for the best."

"I am right here!" She didn't know what Obliviate means but she didn't like the sound of it. It was too close to the word **obliterate** for comfort.

He ignored Kat too. "I very much doubt the Ministry will send a war hero to Azkaban, not when they owe you everything. It's dangerous right now. They were looking for you in particular since you're one of the Golden Trio. Why not wait until they round up all the prisoners and then Obliviate her?"

"Still right here! Still not feeling warm and fuzzy about this Obliviate thing!" Everything else he said made no sense to her. Hermione is a war hero? How is that possible? The girl is barely 20.

Either way, he seemed to have mollified the witch into putting her wand down on the table. Taking the opportunity, Kat rolled forward and snatched Hermione's wand. She pointed it at the girl. "Now, you're going to listen up and listen up real well. No one is going to Obliviate me or the witch gets it." Hermione rolled her eyes and Sirius seemed to be fighting back a grin. "What's so funny?"

"You're not a witch. You need magic to use that, love."

She shifted awkwardly in her defensive stance, both hands unyielding on the wand, glancing between the two. She almost considered putting the wand down and crying but she had a feeling tears wouldn't stop them from following through on that plan. Twin rushes of adrenaline and fear coursed through her, forcing her into action. Kat made as if to put the wand down but instead flipped the table to make a run for it.

Her feet practically flew through the corridor before she escaped the way she came in. She ran like her life depended on it, which it kind of did. She was going to have to tell her mother to have a strong talk with Uncle Jon about Obliviating family. All in all, this was the worst vacation ever.

She didn't know how far she got. Her lungs were on fire and she regretted not going to the gym more often. When she finally did slow down, she found she was hopelessly lost. Kat gripped the wand like a lifeline. The streets seemed busier around here. It was oddly comforting considering how there was supposed to be prisoner escapees running around. She blended in with the crowd despite the very visible wand. There was a pub on the corner. For a manic moment she thought about going in and drinking. The absurdity.

Her feet brought her to the door of the establishment but she never got the chance to open it.

No, the door burst open to reveal two extremely angry men continuing a fight. One of them had a broken bottle in his hand. While the other man managed to dodge, she wasn't as lucky.

She staggered backwards, clutching her abdomen with both hands. The wand was getting soaked in her blood but she was too shocked to feel anything. Her knees went weak, unable to support her, and she fell backwards. The two bastards that were in the fight took notice and fled.

A crowd formed around her like she was a spectacle to behold. Judging by the flow of blood and depth of the wound, the glass shards probably sliced through muscle and hit the gastrointestinal tract. A slow death if she didn't get help immediately. Pressure, she had to apply pressure. She had to slow her rabid heartbeat or she'll bleed out faster. Somehow that was impossible to control. A hysterical laugh left her throat as tears leaked down her face. How ironic that for all the magic she learned about tonight, it will be a bar fight that'll put her in an early grave.

"Kat! Kat!" She opened her eyes. It was Hermione. She seemed upset. Sirius stood with his chest heaving beside her. He had a look she'd never seen on anyone before. Well, at least the girl won't have to worry about her spilling her secret.

"I have to tell you, 'Mione, I don't think I like England." Her smile trembled on her lips. "Tell my parents I'm sorry for running the cat over and blaming it on the neighbor. It was an accident. Well, at least they can't kill me now..." A halfhearted laugh was caught in her throat. "Tell them I love them, ok?" Tears welled up in the other girl's eyes.

"Tell them yourself." In a quick smooth motion, Sirius crouched down. He pulled wand out and pointed at her abdomen. "Vulnera Sanetur, Vulnera Sanetur, Vulnera Sanetur."

Blood stopped seeping through her fingers. Somehow the wound seemed to be healing. After a long, agonizing minute, she pulled her shaking hand away to see that all that was left were a smattering of small scars. Kat sat up slowly, experimentally. She was ok. Relief filled her. Tears blinded her with a vengeance. She threw her arms around him, nearly throwing him off balance, and sobbed into his chest. Only a quiet, "Thank you, thank you," escaping her lips. He stroked her frizzy hair in comforting gesture.

Murmurs joined astonished whispers to make a sea of hushed talk from the crowd around them. Hermione's expression was grim. She picked up her bloodied wand and gestured around at the crowd. A cry of " **Obliviate**!" resonated from her. The crowd seemed stunned. "Quickly, let's go." She grabbed onto both of them and Apparated back to the building they started in. The three collectively fell to the floor.

A few moments after she disentangled herself from the wizard, Kat moved to sit by the fireplace, knees drawn up to her chest. Her eyes remained fixed on the ashes.

"What did you do to them, Hermione?"

The girl took her place beside her. "I erased their memories."

"And that's what you're going to do to me? After those guys are arrested?"

The silence was answer enough. She nodded miserably, hiding her face in her knees. It wasn't a death sentence, at least. She didn't like it but she owed them her life. She felt a soft touch on her shoulder and gave Hermione a weak smile.

If she wasn't going to remember this anyway, she might as well indulge her curiosity. "So you're a war hero?"


	5. Chapter 5

Sirius watched Hermione explain the basics of magic school and spells and wizard prejudices before she regaled all the tales of their heroics to the muggle girl. The other listened intently, wide eyed and mouth agape, only stopping her to offer hilarious commentary. Kat was rather endearing in her own way. When he first saw her, he thought she'd make for a great shag but now he found himself a bit more interested in what came out of her mouth rather than what she could do with it. She had impressed him when she'd made her escape. Perhaps after she was Obliviated, he could convince her to go on a date or two with him.

The story telling stretched on for hours until Hermione ended with the dramatic climax of how Harry killed Voldemort. She received an eager applause. The American was grinning now, seemingly in awe at Hermione and her friends.

"It's so unfair you get to be a witch and I don't. I missed out on everything. Magic school and spells and all that cool stuff. What house do you think I would have been?"

Her cousin cruelly teased, "Not Gryffindor, certainly. I would have pegged you for Hufflepuff. After your behavior tonight you might be more serpent than I thought."

She leaned in closer to the girl and hissed like a snake before breaking into a laugh. Those warm hazel eyes, still red around the edges from her earlier sobbing, swung to him with a quality of shy questioning in them. Pink lips parted to ask her question since clearly the girl lacked any self-restraint. Again, endearing.

"Wait, if Sirius is Harry's godfather, why didn't Harry know about magic before Hogwarts? I mean, I know his parents were killed but, um, like—"she stumbled to find the right words, getting more flustered by the second.

Hermione met his eyes with his. She'd obviously omitted certain things out of respect to him. He offered a sad smile. "I was in Azkaban for twelve years. It's a wizard prison on an isolated island in the middle of the ocean. I was framed by the rat who had betrayed Harry's parents to the Dark Lord."

Quickly paling, Kat was stricken by that knowledge before turning beat red with impassioned rage. Her hands slammed onto the table. "I would _never_ betray my friends like that." After a moment where she seemed to reconsider, she withdrew her hands and meekly added, "Not my real friends." She seemed to reconsider once again as she peered at him. "Or anyone else."

His smile warmed. "No, I don't believe you would." He was rewarded with a bright, genuine smile from Kat.

Hermione snorted, drawing their attention. "You were rather convincing when you tried to use my own wand against me."

A guilty smile spread on her face. "I wouldn't have _actually_ hurt you."

Suddenly the fireplace roared to life and out climbed Harry. Judging by the sweat that lined his forehead, he knew something was terribly wrong. Sirius immediately stood to question him but Harry's focus was on Kat. His godson finally spoke up. "Transfigure a telly and turn on the muggle news. Any channel."

The brightest witch of their age was quick to do as instructed, turning a tea cup into a television. An attractive woman reported on a 'bizarre incident' that had been filmed from afar by a newscast while they had been doing a story on local robberies. When questioned, witnesses couldn't remember anything. She questioned the validity of it, implying it could be a hoax or elaborate magic trick but 'experts are currently baffled' since the video had not been tampered with. She then showed footage of Sirius magically saving Kat and Hermione casting a spell on the crowd before all three vanished into thin air. Hermione changed the channel to show a man talking about the same incident, only he seemed convinced something unnatural was happening. She tried two more stations in vain hope but turned it off altogether when she found none.

There was silence for a long time. Hermione softly poached, "What is the Ministry going to do?"

"For now? Push that it had been a hoax. The video is on the internet and it's been shared by thousands around the world. It's impossible to take it off now."

After another long silence fell over them, Kat asked, "Are Hermione and Sirius going to get in trouble? They saved my life…"

Instead of answering the question, Harry asked his best friend, "Is this your cousin? Why haven't you Obliviated her yet?"

"We were waiting for the Death Eaters to get caught, Harry. We can't let her wander about on her own when they can use her for leverage."

The argument between them continued until the anchor suddenly stopped midsentence. Her voice resounded in the room, "This just in: the identity of the two young women in the video have been identified by a neighbor as Hermione Granger and her cousin, American visitor, Katherine Daring. The man remains a mystery. No one from the Granger residence will answer our calls but a call to America told us that Michael Daring, father to the woman wounded in the video, was thoroughly distressed with what we informed him of. Here we have Michael and Penny live in Florida. Mr. Daring, do you have any idea what your daughter has been involved in? What are we seeing here?"

The screen split to show an older couple, the woman in her 40s and the man in his mid-60s. The woman spoke hesitantly, "We have no idea. We tried calling her but she wouldn't pick up her cell phone and my brother isn't answering either. We're worried."

"Can you identify the man in the video?"

Her father answered in gruff tones with a deep scowl, "Don't know who that guy is. But I want to publically announce I own a gun and I hunt every season."

Clearly not a man for veiled threats. Kat groaned as if in pain and buried her face in her hands, only peeking out to see a smirking Sirius. The news anchor ended the video call and the camera panned to a shot of Hermione's house. The witch leapt into action. "We have to get my parents. They're vulnerable now that their location's been broadcast across England. If Death Eaters get to them—"

Harry put a hand up to stop her. "You can't Apparate there with reporters hounding the place."

"They're my parents, Harry!"

"Do you _really_ believe Death Eaters would watch Muggle news?"

The news anchor's shrilled voice caught their attention, "Breaking news! A man has stepped forward claiming knowledge of the footage. Please welcome Mr. Augustus Rookwood."

The room went shock still with the exception of the muggle girl who had no idea who the man was. The camera panned to the cool-faced grey haired Death Eater sitting in front of another reporter. He spoke in professional tones, "Before we conduct this interview, I would like to invite Harry Potter to join us."


End file.
